Growing up, the Lepp brothers watched as their father, Thom Lepp, gathered family and friends to enjoy music in their Port Dalhousie backyard on balmy summer evenings.

When the annual party outgrew the family’s backyard, Cicada Fest was born, taking place at a variety of venues before finding a home on Henley Island.

After Thom’s prostate cancer diagnosis, the event returned to the Lepp family home for several years before his death in 2017.

Soon after, Malcolm Lepp (BSM ’23) and Evan Lepp (BA ’23) began working with a family friend, Benjamin Goerzen, to honour their father’s legacy and give back to the community by reviving the beloved festival.

Today, the Cicada Music & Arts Festival is an annual celebration of music, art, beer, wine and food.

The homegrown event, which takes place this year on Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6, is organized by an eight-person committee that includes six Brock graduates.

Erik Dickson (BA ’11), a longtime friend of the Lepp family and one of the Cicada Music & Arts organizers, credits Brock for helping prepare him and other grads on the committee to navigate the complex landscape of the non-profit arts sector.

“It’s not so much the content of my degree that I use regularly, but the critical thinking and problem solving that I really had to master during my time at Brock,” says Dickson, who now owns Trust Beer Bar and IndoorShoes Music, a concert promotions company.

The group’s perseverance and creativity as paid off. For the second year in a row, the growing event will run over two days, offering more programming for families and children. This year’s lineup includes Serena Ryder, Half Moon Run and Born Ruffians, among others.

For more ticket and event information, visit the festival’s website.